Many Tomb Raider fans are anxiously waiting to experience Lara Croft's next adventure, especially since Shadow of the Tomb Raider - the latest installment in the franchise - was released almost five years ago. Fortunately, Amazon is slated to produce a Tomb Raider television show and has tapped Fleabag writer Phoebe Waller-Bridge to create and write it. While some fans might be skeptical about another Tomb Raider adaptation, given the criticism of the 2018 Tomb Raider film, hopefully, the upcoming series will adopt elements from the "survivor" trilogy of games that give fans the most recent iteration of Lara Croft.
Despite receiving mixed reviews, the "survivor" trilogy of games - including the 2013 Tomb Raider through to Shadow of the Tomb Raider - is primarily credited for giving Lara Croft more humanity. The series is a departure from the dual-pistol-wielding, professional treasure hunter seen in Tomb Raider: Anniversary, instead focusing on Lara's journey of survival as the catalyst for her destiny as a legendary archeological superhero. Although having Phoebe Waller-Bridge at the helm of the Amazon series might signal a more comedic take on Lara Croft, it would be wise for the show to emulate the grittier, darker elements in the survivor trilogy as well.
How The Tomb Raider Survivor Trilogy Gives Lara Croft Humanity
In Rise of the Tomb Raider, the opening features a disparaged Lara Croft struggling to cope with the supernatural carnage on Yamatai that makes her father's obsession all the more real. While the rest of the game is seemingly centered around a legendary treasure hunt, the game's themes are centered around loss, grief, trauma, and obsession - in essence, emotions that Lara can't fight through the way she does everything else. Rise of the Tomb Raider - in keeping with the patterns established in Tomb Raider and Shadow of the Tomb Raider - shines a light on Lara's inner turmoil, allowing her to be the flawed, hurt human being she was never able to be in past games.
The Lara in the survivor trilogy is angry, grieving, lonely, and disconnected from the rest of the world, all of which have consequences that affect her work. While it can be challenging to watch Lara be forcibly molded into a toughened heroine in the 2013 Tomb Raider, the game also set a precedent by exploring Lara's mental health and the pressure to avoid her father's fate while following in his footsteps. The Tomb Raider television series should emulate this focus on Lara's character, providing the needed depth to continue revealing the layers of humanity behind the dual pistols and climbing axes.
The Tomb Raider Amazon Series Should Keep The Survival Mechanics From The Trilogy
Not only did the most recent iteration of the Tomb Raider franchise allow fans to explore three very different locations, but the games completely overhauled the way Lara explores, fights, and finds lost history. From skinning a deer to using mud as guerilla camouflage, the survivor trilogy forces Lara Croft into many dire situations that require survival mechanics not seen in previous games. One distinctive survival mechanic in the Tomb Raider franchise is stealth combat, ranging from silent bow-and-arrow fighting to stringing up soldiers in trees.
While some fans might want to see Lara Croft wield her iconic dual pistols again, watching Lara adapt and evolve her combat and exploration techniques to suit the environment is fascinating. This gameplay element separates the franchise from Indiana Jones or Uncharted. In Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Lara is a seasoned explorer who knows that she can survive in any circumstance, a confidence that feels earned compared to previous installments. Hopefully, the show can establish a balance between the Lara Croft of the past and present while keeping the "survivor" element of her story alive.
The Tomb Raider series is in development at Amazon.